Reise Reise... Italy

 

Nordart 2019

 

KZ Sachsenhausen

Reise Reise Macedonia and Kosovo

We made a trip to Macedonia this month. Our main destination was Skopje, Macedonias capital city. From Germany it is about a 2,5 hours flight. No visa is required for EU citizens.

Skopje is a bit of an adventure. The traffic is crazy and the exhaust fumes are hard on the lungs. You can  quickly see, that Macedonia is not one of the richest countries in Europe. This is mainly because times were hard after the independence in 1991.  But Macedonia is on the rise and since 2005 a candidate for the EU membership.

After seeing the center of Skopje you get the impression, that this country is still on the search for its roots and culture. The goverment put up statues over statues. Alexander the great next to venetian lions, surrounded by orthodox church leaders and artists. Somehow a MickeyMouse version of the rich Macedonian past. Talking to the locals makes clear, that most people see their roots mainly in the ottoman and albanian tradition. 

We enjoyed our trip. Macedonia is definetely worth a visit. People are very friendly and Skopje has a lot to offer. Sadly couldn`t make it to the south (Ohrid and Bitola).

City center.

You should definetely visit "Kale" fortress. It is the highest point of the city and directly in the center surrounded by mosques. Every day at 12o`clock your can hear all the muezzins singing. A really interesting experience!

From the Mother Teresa house.

Below Kale fortress is the ottoman quarter and the most beautiful part of Skopje.

To Vodno mountain and the Millenium-Cross.

To Pristina by bus.

Sadly we didn`t have the time to see Prizren, but we at least made it to Pristina. Kosovos capital is much cleaner and more modern, than we exspected. Tourist shops, the fact that the official currency is Euro and a lot of young people who are speaking good english gives it almost a western european feeling. 

Reise Reise....Kiev, Ukraine

Kiev is the largest city in Ukraine and should definitely be on your to-do list. Modern era meets tradition. We`ve heard horror stories about criminality, violence, corruption and instability and not a single of these points is true (And no....there is no war going on...). Kiev is a very friendly and european city. People usually speak good english and are always willing to help. The traffic is absolutely chaotic and jammed 24hours a day. Also you shouldn`t drink the water unless you want to puke your guts out and you definitely shouldn`t be russian.